scholarly journals Radiative Impacts of Volcanic Aerosol in the Arctic

10.5772/63421 ◽  
2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cindy L. Young ◽  
Jennifer W. Telling
Keyword(s):  
The Arctic ◽  
Volcanic Aerosol ◽  
Radiative Impacts

Perturbation of stratospheric nitrogen dioxide by volcanic aerosol in the Arctic

1994 ◽  
Vol 21 (13) ◽  
pp. 1411-1414 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Lateltin ◽  
J.-P. Pommereau ◽  
H. Le Texier ◽  
M. Pirre ◽  
R. A. Ramaroson
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Dioxide ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Volcanic Aerosol

scholarly journals Enhanced Seasonal Prediction of European Winter Warming following Volcanic Eruptions

2009 ◽  
Vol 22 (23) ◽  
pp. 6168-6180 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. G. Marshall ◽  
A. A. Scaife ◽  
S. Ineson
Keyword(s):  
Climate Model ◽  
Initial Conditions ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Volcanic Eruptions ◽  
Seasonal Prediction ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Extended Model ◽  
Similar Response ◽  
Volcanic Aerosol ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The impact of explosive volcanic eruptions on the atmospheric circulation at high northern latitudes is assessed in two versions of the Met Office Hadley Centre’s atmospheric climate model. The standard version of the model extends to an altitude of around 40 km, while the extended version has enhanced stratospheric resolution and reaches 85-km altitude. Seasonal hindcasts initialized on 1 December produce a strengthening of the winter polar vortex and anomalous warming over northern Europe characteristic of the positive phase of the Arctic Oscillation (AO) when forced with volcanic aerosol following the 1963 Mount Agung, 1982 El Chichón, and 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruptions, as is observed. The AO signal in the extended model is of comparable strength to that in the standard model, showing that there is little impact from both increasing the vertical resolution in the stratosphere and extending the model domain to near the mesopause. The presence of this signal in the models, however, is likely due to the persistence of the observed signal from the initial conditions, because a similar set of experiments initiated with the same conditions, but with no volcanic aerosol forcing, exhibits a similar response as the forced runs. This suggests that the model has limited fidelity in capturing the response to volcanic aerosols on its own, consistent with previous studies on the impact of volcanic forcing in long climate simulations, but does support the premise that seasonal winter forecasts are substantially improved with the inclusion of stratospheric information.

scholarly journals Regional radiative impact of volcanic aerosol from the 2009 eruption of Mt. Redoubt

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 3699-3715 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. L. Young ◽  
I. N. Sokolik ◽  
J. Dufek
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Radiative Transfer Model ◽  
Transfer Model ◽  
Aerosol Layer ◽  
Volcanic Aerosol ◽  
High Northern Latitude ◽  
Arctic Environment

Abstract. High northern latitude eruptions have the potential to release volcanic aerosol into the Arctic environment, perturbing the Arctic's climate system. We present assessments of shortwave (SW), longwave (LW) and net direct aerosol radiative forcing efficiencies and atmospheric heating/cooling rates caused by volcanic aerosol from the 2009 eruption of Mt. Redoubt by performing radiative transfer modeling constrained by NASA A-Train satellite data. The optical properties of volcanic aerosol were calculated by introducing a compositionally resolved microphysical model developed for both ash and sulfates. Two compositions of volcanic aerosol were considered in order to examine a fresh, ash rich plume and an older, ash poor plume. Optical models were incorporated into a modified version of the SBDART radiative transfer model. Our results indicate that environmental conditions, such as surface albedo and solar zenith angle (SZA), can influence the sign and the magnitude of the radiative forcing at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) and at the surface and the magnitude of the forcing in the aerosol layer. We find that a fresh, thin plume (~2.5–7 km) at an AOD (550 nm) range of 0.18–0.58 and SZA = 55° over snow cools the surface and warms the TOA, but the opposite effect is seen for TOA by the same layer over ocean. The layer over snow also warms by 64 W m−2AOD−1 more than the same plume over seawater. The layer over snow at SZA = 75° warms the TOA 96 W m−2AOD−1 less than it would at SZA = 55° over snow, and there is instead warming at the surface. We also find that plume aging can alter the magnitude of the radiative forcing. An aged plume over snow at SZA = 55° would warm the TOA and layer by 146 and 143 W m−2AOD−1 less than the fresh plume, while the aging plume cools the surface 3 W m−2AOD−1 more. Comparing results for the thin plume to those for a thick plume (~3–20 km), we find that the fresh, thick plume with AOD(550 nm) = 3, over seawater, and SZA = 55° heats the upper part of the plume in the SW ~28 K day−1 more and cools in the LW by ~6.3 K day−1 more than a fresh, thin plume under the same environmental conditions. We compare our assessments with those reported for other aerosols typical to the Arctic environment (smoke from wildfires, Arctic haze, and dust) to demonstrate the importance of volcanic aerosols.

scholarly journals Regional radiative impact of volcanic aerosol from the 2009 eruption of Redoubt volcano

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 26691-26740 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. L. Young ◽  
I. N. Sokolik ◽  
J. Dufek
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Aerosol Layer ◽  
Volcanic Aerosol ◽  
Ozone Monitoring Instrument ◽  
High Northern Latitude ◽  
Arctic Environment ◽  
Nm Range

Abstract. High northern latitude eruptions have the potential to release volcanic aerosol into the Arctic environment, perturbing the Arctic's climate system. In this study, we present assessments of shortwave (SW), longwave (LW) and net direct aerosol radiative forcings (DARFs) and atmospheric heating/cooling rates caused by volcanic aerosol from the 2009 eruption of Redoubt Volcano by performing radiative transfer modeling constrained by NASA A-Train satellite data. The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model for volcanic ash were used to characterize aerosol across the region. A representative range of aerosol optical depths (AODs) at 550 nm were obtained from MODIS, and the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) was used to determine the altitude and thickness of the plumes. The optical properties of volcanic aerosol were calculated using a compositionally resolved microphysical model developed for both ash and sulfates. Two compositions of volcanic aerosol were considered in order to examine a fresh, ash rich plume and an older, ash poor plume. Optical models were incorporated into a modified version of the Santa Barbara Disort Atmospheric Radiative Transfer (SBDART) model. Radiative transfer calculations were made for a range of surface albedos and solar zenith angles (SZA) representative of the region. We find that the total DARF caused by a fresh, thin plume (~2.5–7 km) at an AOD (550 nm) range of 0.16–0.58 and SZA = 55° is –46 W m−2AOD−1 at the top of the atmosphere (TOA), 110 W m−2AOD−1 in the aerosol layer, and – 150 W m−2AOD−1 at the surface over seawater. However, the total DARF for the same plume over snow and at the same SZA at TOA, in the layer, and at the surface is 170, 170, and −2 W m−2AOD−1, respectively. We also see that the total DARF when SZA = 75° for the same layer over snow is 35 W m−2AOD−1 at TOA, 64 W m−2AOD−1 in the layer, and 11 W m−2AOD−1 at the surface. These results indicate that environmental conditions, such as surface albedo and SZA, control the sign of the radiative forcing at TOA and at the surface and the magnitude of the forcing in the aerosol layer. An older plume over snow at SZA = 55° would have total DARFs of 25, 31, and −5 W m−2AOD−1 at TOA, in the layer, and at the surface, respectively. Our results demonstrate that plume aging can alter the magnitude of the radiative forcing. We also compare results for the thin plume to those for a thick plume (~3–20 km) with an AOD (550 nm) range of 1 to 3. The fresh, thin plume with AOD = 0.58, over seawater, and SZA = 55° will heat the atmosphere in the SW by ~2.5 K day−1 and cool the atmosphere in the LW by ~0.3 Kday−1. The fresh, thick plume with AOD = 3 under the same environmental conditions will produce SW heating in the atmosphere by ~31 Kday−1 and atmospheric LW cooling of ~6.7 K day−1. These calculations convey the importance of vertical plume structure in determining the magnitudes of the radiative effects. We compare our assessments with those reported for other aerosols typical to the Arctic environment (smoke from wildfires, Arctic haze, and dust) to demonstrate the importance of volcanic aerosols.

scholarly journals The unexpected smoke layer in the High Arctic winter stratosphere during MOSAiC 2019–2020

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (20) ◽  
pp. 15783-15808
Author(s):  
Kevin Ohneiser ◽  
Albert Ansmann ◽  
Alexandra Chudnovsky ◽  
Ronny Engelmann ◽  
Christoph Ritter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ozone Depletion ◽  
Winter Season ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Aerosol Layer ◽  
Volcanic Aerosol ◽  
Wildfire Smoke ◽  
Winter Half ◽  
Smoke Layer ◽  
532 Nm

Abstract. During the 1-year MOSAiC (Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate) expedition, the German icebreaker Polarstern drifted through Arctic Ocean ice from October 2019 to May 2020, mainly at latitudes between 85 and 88.5∘ N. A multiwavelength polarization Raman lidar was operated on board the research vessel and continuously monitored aerosol and cloud layers up to a height of 30 km. During our mission, we expected to observe a thin residual volcanic aerosol layer in the stratosphere, originating from the Raikoke volcanic eruption in June 2019, with an aerosol optical thickness (AOT) of 0.005–0.01 at 500 nm over the North Pole area during the winter season. However, the highlight of our measurements was the detection of a persistent, 10 km deep aerosol layer in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS), from about 7–8 to 17–18 km height, with clear and unambiguous wildfire smoke signatures up to 12 km and an order of magnitude higher AOT of around 0.1 in the autumn of 2019. Case studies are presented to explain the specific optical fingerprints of aged wildfire smoke in detail. The pronounced aerosol layer was present throughout the winter half-year until the strong polar vortex began to collapse in late April 2020. We hypothesize that the detected smoke originated from extraordinarily intense and long-lasting wildfires in central and eastern Siberia in July and August 2019 and may have reached the tropopause layer by the self-lifting process. In this article, we summarize the main findings of our 7-month smoke observations and characterize the aerosol in terms of geometrical, optical, and microphysical properties. The UTLS AOT at 532 nm ranged from 0.05–0.12 in October–November 2019 and 0.03–0.06 during the main winter season. The Raikoke aerosol fraction was estimated to always be lower than 15 %. We assume that the volcanic aerosol was above the smoke layer (above 13 km height). As an unambiguous sign of the dominance of smoke in the main aerosol layer from 7–13 km height, the particle extinction-to-backscatter ratio (lidar ratio) at 355 nm was found to be much lower than at 532 nm, with mean values of 55 and 85 sr, respectively. The 355–532 nm Ångström exponent of around 0.65 also clearly indicated the presence of smoke aerosol. For the first time, we show a distinct view of the aerosol layering features in the High Arctic from the surface up to 30 km height during the winter half-year. Finally, we provide a vertically resolved view on the late winter and early spring conditions regarding ozone depletion, smoke occurrence, and polar stratospheric cloud formation. The latter will largely stimulate research on a potential impact of the unexpected stratospheric aerosol perturbation on the record-breaking ozone depletion in the Arctic in spring 2020.

The Arctic Climate System

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark C. Serreze ◽  
Roger G. Barry
Keyword(s):  
Climate System ◽  
Arctic Climate ◽  
The Arctic
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